Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) invite Zabrina Kearns to have a discussion with them about what transition looks like for families in her New Jersey district. Zabrina shares out from her extensive background in special education, applied behavior analysis and her current roles as Work-Based Learning supervisor, & transition coordinator. The trio discuss the differences in transition programs and outcomes between states, the importance of independent living skills, and the challenges parents face in navigating post-high school options for their children with disabilities. Their conversation considers the importance of teaching soft skills like professionalism & interactions, the need for students to gain experience in various industries, the complexities of funding and the need for better communication with families about available resources through local DD and VR agencies. Join the conversation!
Episode Keywords:
diploma, program, work, New Jersey, districts, community, special education, participants, IEP, DVRS, transition, students, coordinator, families, learning, jobs, DDD, career, graduate, community, volunteer, challenges
Links:
Pascack Valley Regional High School District Transition Resources (site)
University of Kansas Master Program in Secondary Education & Transition (site)
Charting the LifeCourse (site)
New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (site)
Trying to find your states Rehabilitation Agency? Look for it here.
Project Search (site)
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To download a copy of a transcript for this episode or any of our previous conversations, click here.
Also visit our Podcast webpage to find links to all of our other discussions; go to www.p2transition.com.
Additional information about post-secondary transition can be found at our website.
The Post-Secondary Transition Podcast Facebook page.
Visit our YouTube Channel to find additional video resources.
Intro/Outro music by AudioCoffee from Pixabay.
Transition music by Joseph McDade from Transistor.